Just wanted to take a moment and wish all of my friends a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays if that fits better. May you receive love, warmth, good food and time with family and friends.
Kae
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
CHANGES - Moving
For Sale
2002 NASH 29V Travel Trailer
WAS $14,900 NOW $10,900
Dual Slides
Air Conditioner
Microwave
“Fantastic” Power Vent
Vent Covers
Island Queen Bed W/Dual Air Mattress
Bath Skylight Dome
Awning
Stabilizing Jacks
Power Hitch Jack
Heat Reflective Windows
Diamond Plate Front Rock Guard
Dual Axle W/Shock Absorbers
Spare Tire
Less Than 500 Road Miles
Many Other Custom Features
Non-smoking and Pet Free
Phone: 297-4341 Or see at River’s Edge RV Park Space 15
Phone: 297-4341 Or see at River’s Edge RV Park Space 15
Coquille, Oregon 97423
As you can see, my life and thus the focus of my blog is changing for a while. We are in the process of moving to from Oregon to Colorado to be nearer to children and grandchildren. We lived in Boulder, Colorado for 27 years so we know what kind of climate we are changing to but our main change is from living as full-time RVers to apartment living. After 19 years of RV living we are very accustomed to having wheels under us and the freedom to go where the road leads us and having our home with us.
Because of this move, I've put both of my Etsy stores on indefinate vacation hold until we get to Colorado and after 2009 arrives so that I don't have to calculate state income taxes for a business in two different states this year. That is a real pain - I've done it before!!!
There are a lot of steps or logistics to this kind of lifestyle change as we are currently living in our trailer but need to sell it - timing becomes an issue but we are up to the challenge and have contingency plans in place if the trailer sells soon.
I am posting the picture and details on our trailer for easy access for anyone who is interested. I will keep a journal of the move as we progress. Today I am working on disposing of extra books and magazines which I will donate to the local friends of the library for their next sale. The library and thrift stores here will benefit from this move as we are taking only personal effects and leaving all small appliances and most kitchen ware and restocking when we arrive. That is more cost-effective and trying to move it.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
THE THRIFTY SHOPPING GAME
THRIFTY SHOPPING or BEAT THEM AT THEIR OWN GAME
We all shop for something and the object of this game is to save as much as possible. Since my grandmother and mom did a large portion of their shopping in grocery stores, let’s play the grocery store game. By following a few easy principles we can save a lot on our food bills and reduce the number of times a week we have to eat out because there isn’t anything ready to fix for dinner. As with the previous games, add the savings to a “piggy bank” so we can have a concrete measurement of how we are doing. This time, we are using a separate “bank” from the previous game so we can chart our progress in each area.
Here are the guiding principles of this game:
1. Read and use the weekly grocery ads.
2. Always shop from a written list.
3. Never shop when hungry.
4. Shop alone.
5. Be flexible.
6. Use manufacturer’s coupons when practical.
7. Shop a maximum of 4 times a month.
8. Resist impulse buying.
9. Take a re-useable shopping bag.
These principles look simple and they can be but it usually helps when we understand the pluses and pit-falls of each one so let’s analyze them.
Read and use the weekly grocery ads.
This is the few minutes a week that can really pay off big time in the grocery shopping game.
Loss-leaders: Now stores have items called loss-leaders that they use to get us to come to their store instead of the competing grocery store. We want to use this competition to our advantage. The loss-leaders are items that are selling way below the normal price and often below the wholesale cost. IF this is an item that you use often and it will keep (canned goods for instance) this is the time to stock up.
For instance, say the sale item is canned tomatoes and you know that you frequently use two cans a week, and there isn’t a limit on how many you can buy, you might want to buy 3 months worth (8 cans a month times 3 months equals 24 cans). If the tomatoes usually sell for $1.00 a can and you can buy them for 2/1.00 then you have saved $12.00 and you won’t run out of tomatoes for 3 months.
You save in a couple of ways using this method AS LONG AS you don’t let any of your purchases spoil. First, you have the tomatoes on hand whenever you need them so you don’t have to make a special trip to the store to get some. Second, you have paid half of the regular price for the tomatoes. Third, this form of saving is a short-term hedge against inflation. In three months, the price of tomatoes may have increased to $1.05 a can so over the three month period your savings have grown without you having to do anything.
Now, compare the various grocery store ads and decide on which store has the best sales this week on the most expensive items you need to purchase. It is only time and cost effective to go to one or two grocery stores a week so it is important to decide where your will make the greatest savings.
Make a list for each store and note the items with special prices. Be sure to watch when you are checking out and verify that the scanned price is the correct price. Frequently the scanners are incorrect on sale items and often on the regular priced items as well. Some stores will give you the item free if you catch a scanner error but even if they don’t, you receive the benefit of the correct price every time you catch an error.
Always shop from a written list.
But my memory is fine, you say. Well, so is mine – most of the time. However, it isn’t fool-proof and I’m usually the fool that has to go back to the store to get the key ingredient for the main dish that I forgot because I didn’t use a shopping list. The other problem I frequently have when shopping list-less is buying the same item repeatedly. We had to eat our way through 40 pounds of potatoes one month because every time I went to the store I thought I needed potatoes so I bought 10 pounds. It was quite a while before the family wanted potatoes again after that fiasco!!! LOL.
The picture of the pizza notebook is from a Trashion Team member’s shop NatureMadeScents Think Again Notebook
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_18&listing_id=5232344
The Trashion Street Team specializes on creative thinking and making useful items from “trash”. This is just one example.
Next time we will continue with this discussion.
We all shop for something and the object of this game is to save as much as possible. Since my grandmother and mom did a large portion of their shopping in grocery stores, let’s play the grocery store game. By following a few easy principles we can save a lot on our food bills and reduce the number of times a week we have to eat out because there isn’t anything ready to fix for dinner. As with the previous games, add the savings to a “piggy bank” so we can have a concrete measurement of how we are doing. This time, we are using a separate “bank” from the previous game so we can chart our progress in each area.
Here are the guiding principles of this game:
1. Read and use the weekly grocery ads.
2. Always shop from a written list.
3. Never shop when hungry.
4. Shop alone.
5. Be flexible.
6. Use manufacturer’s coupons when practical.
7. Shop a maximum of 4 times a month.
8. Resist impulse buying.
9. Take a re-useable shopping bag.
These principles look simple and they can be but it usually helps when we understand the pluses and pit-falls of each one so let’s analyze them.
Read and use the weekly grocery ads.
This is the few minutes a week that can really pay off big time in the grocery shopping game.
Loss-leaders: Now stores have items called loss-leaders that they use to get us to come to their store instead of the competing grocery store. We want to use this competition to our advantage. The loss-leaders are items that are selling way below the normal price and often below the wholesale cost. IF this is an item that you use often and it will keep (canned goods for instance) this is the time to stock up.
For instance, say the sale item is canned tomatoes and you know that you frequently use two cans a week, and there isn’t a limit on how many you can buy, you might want to buy 3 months worth (8 cans a month times 3 months equals 24 cans). If the tomatoes usually sell for $1.00 a can and you can buy them for 2/1.00 then you have saved $12.00 and you won’t run out of tomatoes for 3 months.
You save in a couple of ways using this method AS LONG AS you don’t let any of your purchases spoil. First, you have the tomatoes on hand whenever you need them so you don’t have to make a special trip to the store to get some. Second, you have paid half of the regular price for the tomatoes. Third, this form of saving is a short-term hedge against inflation. In three months, the price of tomatoes may have increased to $1.05 a can so over the three month period your savings have grown without you having to do anything.
Now, compare the various grocery store ads and decide on which store has the best sales this week on the most expensive items you need to purchase. It is only time and cost effective to go to one or two grocery stores a week so it is important to decide where your will make the greatest savings.
Make a list for each store and note the items with special prices. Be sure to watch when you are checking out and verify that the scanned price is the correct price. Frequently the scanners are incorrect on sale items and often on the regular priced items as well. Some stores will give you the item free if you catch a scanner error but even if they don’t, you receive the benefit of the correct price every time you catch an error.
Always shop from a written list.
But my memory is fine, you say. Well, so is mine – most of the time. However, it isn’t fool-proof and I’m usually the fool that has to go back to the store to get the key ingredient for the main dish that I forgot because I didn’t use a shopping list. The other problem I frequently have when shopping list-less is buying the same item repeatedly. We had to eat our way through 40 pounds of potatoes one month because every time I went to the store I thought I needed potatoes so I bought 10 pounds. It was quite a while before the family wanted potatoes again after that fiasco!!! LOL.
The picture of the pizza notebook is from a Trashion Team member’s shop NatureMadeScents Think Again Notebook
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_18&listing_id=5232344
The Trashion Street Team specializes on creative thinking and making useful items from “trash”. This is just one example.
Next time we will continue with this discussion.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Collage Materials Packets with Blog article offer
Happy Saturday everyone.
I have just listed some Vintage Magazine pages as a collage packet which will include magazine pictures, fabric, a map, old greeting cards and many other goodies. I hope all the collage artists will take a look and then take me up on my offer to feature their creations constructed from the packet on my blog once they have listed the item (s) on Etsy.
Collage Materials Packets with Blog article offer listed in my Kae1Supplies store and the links below will take you to the items.
Hope you all enjoy what you order and receive as I've had a lot of fun making up these awesome packets.
Happy creating.
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